Arch
Villain secures place in 32Red.com Marathon
2.30pm £19,000 32Red
Conditions Stakes 2m, Polytrack, Fast-Track Qualifier
Arch Villain got the better of
Communicator and Ted Spread in a thrilling three-way tussle for the two-mile
32Red Conditions Stakes and is now guaranteed a free run in £150,000
32Red.com Marathon on Good Friday (All Weather Championship Finals Day, April
18, 2014) back at Lingfield Park.
The Amanda Perrett-trained
gelding was settled behind the leaders on the rail by regular pilot Jim
Crowley. The five-year-old was driven to challenge turning for home and battled
on gamely to deny Communicator by a head in a course record time of 3m 16.73s.
Ted Spead was a nose further back in third.
Crowley commented:
"It was tight, but I felt we had just done enough to win. Arch Villain got
caught three-wide last time and we had been held up on the gallops because of
the weather.
"We were hopeful as
we got a nice draw today and Theology helped us because he went a good gallop
and Arch Villain needs that. He can make the running if he needs to, but it
worked out well and he stays very well.
"I don't see why he
can't be competitive on Finals Day as every year he keeps winning and
improving. He is a specialist around here I don't see why he shouldn't run well
again."
Horses qualify for the six
championship contests on £1-million All-Weather Championships Finals Day (Good
Friday, April 18, 2014) by running in a minimum of three races at Britain's
All-Weather tracks - three owned by ARC, Lingfield Park, Southwell and
Wolverhampton, and The Jockey Club's Kempton Park - between October 26 and
April 12 or else by succeeding in one of the 16 Fast-Track Qualifiers.
Arch Villain (far side)
winning at Lingfield Park today
The winners of the eight
Fast-Track Qualifiers so far:-
1) 31/10/13 Listed 32Red /
EBFstallions.com Fleur De Lys Fillies' Stakes, Lingfield Park, Forgive (Richard
Hannon/Silvestre de Sousa) achieved a guaranteed place, with free entry, in the
£150,000 32Red Fillies & Mares Stakes, run over seven furlongs, on
All-Weather Championships Finals Day, Good Friday, April 18, 2014 at Lingfield
Park.
2) 16/11/13 Listed
coral.co.uk Churchill Stakes, Lingfield Park, Prince Alzain (Gerard
Butler/Oisin Murphy) gained a guaranteed place, with free entry, in the
£200,000 Coral Middle Distance Final, run over 10 furlongs, on All-Weather
Championships Finals Day, Good Friday, April 18, 2014 at Lingfield Park.
3) 16/11/13 Listed Best
Odds At bookmakers.co.uk Golden Rose Stakes, Lingfield Park, Valbchek (Jeremy
Noseda/Shane Kelly), secured a guaranteed place, with free entry, in the
£150,000 bookmakers.co.uk Sprint Final, run over six furlongs, on All-Weather
Championships Finals Day, Good Friday, April 18, 2014 at Lingfield Park.
4) 20/11/2013 Listed
Winners Are Welcome At Betdaq EBF Stallions Hyde Stakes, Kempton Park, Sirius
Prospect (Dean Ivory/Robert Winston) gained a guaranteed place, with free
entry, in the £150,000 Ladbrokes Mile Final on All-Weather Championships Finals
Day, Good Friday, April 18, 2014 at Lingfield Park.
5) 23/11/2013 32Red
Conditions Stakes, Lingfield Park, Complicit (Paul Cole/Graham Lee) won in
course record time and secured a guaranteed free place in the £150,000
32Red.com Three-Year-Old Final over seven furlongs on All-Weather Championships
Finals Day, Good Friday, April 18, 2014 at Lingfield Park.
6) 11/01/2014 Ladbrokes
Conditions Stakes, Lingfield Park, Grey Mirage (Marco Botti/Martin Harley)
gained a guaranteed place, with free entry, in the £150,000 Ladbrokes Mile
Final on All-Weather Championships Finals Day, Good Friday, April 18, 2014 at
Lingfield Park
7) 15/01/2014 Winners Are
Welcome At Betdaq Conditions Stakes, Kempton Park, Alutiq (Eve Johnson
Houghton/Jamie Spencer) secured a guaranteed free place in the £150,000
32Red.com Three-Year-Old Final over seven furlongs on All-Weather Championships
Finals Day, Good Friday, April 18, 2014 at Lingfield Park.
8) 22/01/2014 32Red
Conditions Stakes, Lingfield Park, Arch Villain (Amanda Perrett/Jim Crowley)
gained a guaranteed free place in the £150,000 32Red.com Marathon over two
miles on All-Weather Championships Finals Day, Good Friday, April 18, 2014 at
Lingfield Park.
Dettori
returns with a double
Frankie Dettori made a
"fairytale" return to the saddle aboard 8/1 chance Eco Warrior in the
opening coral.co.uk Median Auction Maiden (1.00pm) at Lingfield Park this
afternoon.
The three-time champion
was having his first ride since fracturing an ankle in a fall at Nottingham in
early October, but had to be at his strongest on the John Hills-trained
four-year-old, who denied odds-on favourite Wilhana by a neck.
Dettori said: "It's a
fairytale comeback and there is nothing better than that. I wanted to use
Lingfield to get me 100 per cent because as you can see I am still blowing a
lot.
"A big thank you to
my surgeon Mr Robinson for screwing me back together and everybody who has
helped me over the last three months.
"It's good to be out
of the house and doing what I love. I was surprised how quickly I got back
because originally we thought I would be out for six to nine months. It's been
three and a half months and, although there is no pain, I'm just trying to
gather the strength back in my ankle.
"There is nothing
like race riding and that was a big pipe opener. I don't know when I will be
A1, but I will keep myself busy. It's your mental awareness during the race
that you need to sharpen up when you come back.
"There are some good
rides coming up and that will help me speed up my routine. Crossing the line,
my lungs were burning and my thighs were burning and I was taking two breaths
to get one. Fitness is all about the time of recovery and I'm glad I've got a
break until the next race.
"It was funny because
when the favourite came alongside me just past the three (furlong pole) I
thought I hope he passes me quick, so I can half give up, but then he didn't
and I thought 'Oh God!' But at that moment the adrenaline and instinct to win
takes over and you only feel the pain after the line.
"I gave up smoking in
the new year, but I haven't opened my lungs like this for four months. You can
only do so much in the gym and when you're there you are not competing with
anybody - only with yourself - so when you're tired you can just give up.
"In a race you can't
give up a furlong out and you have to carry on. That's why there is nothing
like race riding because until you are in that situation you never push
yourself.
"I was nervous this
morning - as nervous as I would be if I was riding in a big race - because you
don't know how your leg is going to hold up, your fitness and you want to make
an impression. A lot of things play on your mind and it wasn't until I went
into the weighing room and saw my old valet Dave Curry. He put his arm around
me like he used to do and it all came back together.
"I will ride
throughout the winter, but I will pick and choose my rides and don't plan on
riding every day. I don't need to, I don't have to prove anything, but I want
to do it just to work on my fitness and ride for people I have ridden for in
the past.
"One of the reasons I
am riding over the winter is to rebuild bridges because last year I was playing
second fiddle to the likes of Richard Hughes and William Buick. I was picking
up what they didn't want whereas now we will be starting on a level playing
field, so lets fight for the rides.
"I wanted to be
positive and start from scratch this year. The most important thing is to enjoy
it. I have been riding out for a week and have been having a laugh with the
lads, so I am enjoying it.
"I was at a
disadvantage last year because I started halfway through the season and was
chasing my tail and chasing rides. I wasn't going anywhere, but this year I can
start the same time as the rest and enjoy it better.
"I have got a
beautiful focus point now because I have a great job with a great stable. I've
got some great trainers to ride for and there will be a bit of flying between
France and England but that is all good fun. That gives you a more relaxed
mental state because I've got a purpose to wake up in the morning - I've got a
job for a wonderful owner with some good horses to ride.
"Right now my quest
is to get fit and in the spring it will be to find a three-year-old candidate
for the Classics. That's the hardest bit of the job, but after that everything
will sort itself out.
"I would love to win
a Classic for my new job. He has been very lucky with Toronado, Olympic Glory
and Treve. He's won an Arc, but to win a Classic would be the cherry on the
cake."
The Italian completed a
23.75/1 double on the 7/4 favourite Gone With The Wind in the 32Red.com Maiden
(2.00pm) for Newmarket handler Jeremy Noseda. The three-year-old had finished
fifth on his debut at Kempton Park in November, but battled on gamely to score
by neck.
Dettori added: "When
I started riding for Jeremy, he put me on Gone With The Wind and said 'he's
running next week, do you want to ride him?'
"He had worked quite
well, so I said yes. He was supposed to be my comeback ride and has a lovely
name.
No comments:
Post a Comment